12 Years Ago
by ZombieVampireAuthor
Summary: The day Jenny opened that door, not all the boogeymen had been completely trapped. Will this certain Shadow Man befriend the young girl? Or is he just as evil as his ancestors?-A take on their first meeting going a little differently. Follow five year old Jenny as she meets the Prince of Darkness all the way into a new game, bringing along love and hate, good and evil.


At five years old, Jenny knew she was never allowed in that room. The tripled locked basement door had always been too dangerous to even look at, apparently. Yet, it was just one day when Jenny was dropped off a little early.

The plane ride was long, so the day was coming to an end, but Jenny was too eager to be tired. She came dressed in a yellow sundress and small flip-flops, and her hair was one messy shade of blonde. She was expecting her grandfather waiting there in the kitchen for her with a big bowl of vanilla ice cream, like always. However, the room was empty.

And the basement door was open.

At first, young Jenny only stood there, confused and curious. She slowly approached the door and merely examined the undone locks that were normally closed tight. She started to question it and she opened her mouth to call for her grandfather. It was then that she heard the scream.

It was very abrupt. It was elderly and _painful_.

Jenny jumped, fear consuming her for a second. With the next scream, she opened the door.

Her grandfather was there, straight down the stairs and behind the third bookcase. He was struggling with something and his arms were red. Something wasn't right. The vision of him was blurry and he shouted again.

Jenny didn't understand; especially when ice started to crawl out onto the floor from the bookcase.

"Grandpa," she called desperately.

Her grandfather could barely glance back before something painful struck him again and he groaned. "Run!" was all he could choke out.

Jenny only stood frozen in place as her grandfather locked his back leg and shoved his entire weight into whatever laid behind the bookcase. But there shouldn't be anything behind there. There shouldn't be cuts on his arm. There shouldn't be a white swirling storm rising through the air before her grandfather.

Terror filled Jenny's throat so she could no longer scream, but somehow she was running down the stairs. She tried to call out again, but there was suddenly a large gust of wind. It was cold and powerful and _black_ and it knocked Jenny right off her feet. She screamed now and her grandfather tried to look at her.

"Jenny, go! **Now**!"

She was starting to cry, but her tears literally froze on her cheeks. The black tendrils came spilling from the door that rested hidden behind the bookcase. It was bending awkwardly for a door, like something large and powerful was pushing against it from the other side. The edges were entirely frozen with bulky ice pieces while the white storm continued to break through the cracks. The room was beginning to tremble and small things around the room started to freeze into solid ice-the books on the desk, small ornaments from the bookcases.

Her grandfather was desperately pushing against it with all his weight, trying to get the door to close once again. But the spilling ice was scratching at his arms, like violent hands clawing for freedom. It ripped through his sleeves until his arms were soaked in his own blood.

His arms were staining the light snow on the floor. His face was tight and red with pain. He was holding back sobs. His feet were slipping on ice. And he was starting to weaken. Somehow, seeing her grandfather in so much pain scared Jenny far beyond a five year old's control.

She actually got up and jumped at the door.

She, too, started pushing, although her grandfather started to scream at her. "No, Jenny, go back! Run!"

Instantly, ice whipped across her tiny hands and cut them right open. She screamed and pulled back, but she jammed her shoulder into the door and continued to push.

It was freezing and bloody and _strong_. She could hear the fierce winds from a storm raging from behind it, but all she could see were the black icy strands spreading across the wall from the top of the door, coming down toward her. She felt her hair grow crisp and the ice slipped under her flip flops. She started to panic until her grandfather cornered her against the door. With her there, he was able to use the bookcase as a leverage and the door began to move.

He shouted, "Push!"

At that, Jenny shoved into the frozen wood as much as she could. She was trying not to cry, while her grandfather was screaming words that Jenny did not understand. It was cold and it was painful. Yet, somehow her grandfather gave one last shove and the door gave in.

Instantly her grandfather pulled out the knife from his back pocket and stabbed it viciously into the wood. He drew a fierce X into the wood, then smeared the blood from his arms over the letter until it was a sickening crimson. He shouted right above Jenny, "_Nauthiz! Nauthiz_!"

Something from beneath Jenny's fingers pulsated so hard that it threatened to push her back. She was slipping on the ice and she would've fallen back if it weren't for her grandfather posted firmly behind her. The door was creaking and it seemed it was starting to freeze, but Jenny couldn't pull away. The white storm was in front of her now, but there was nothing else for her to do except stand there, frightened and shocked as she watched something only a five year old could believe.

Something tense and bright pulsed from the door, an immense power building up right under her bloody fingertips. It was enormous and strong and entirely blinding, but within the rushing black mist, little Jenny saw two red lights-no, they weren't lights. They were larger, brighter-they were eyes, she realized; **demonic **eyes, that were coming right at her. It was so terrifyingly real that she couldn't scream when the power exploded from the door's rim in a violent storm. Snow and ice shards and a ghostly black mist whirled all around the room like a raging beast until it quickly faded through the ceiling, sending a terrible chill through the air. The door flickered with a deep moan afterwards, then settled calmly back into the wall.

Her grandfather immediately scooped her up, closed the bookcase back over the door with his back, and carried her upstairs. Although Jenny asked a million questions, he never said a word. He simply carried her into the kitchen, rinsed his arms, cleaned Jenny's scratches, then his own. He finally set her down at the kitchen table and brought out something Jenny had least expected.

The bowl of vanilla ice cream seemed like a joke now considering the ice melting in the basement below. She had stopped crying and simply stared at her grandfather who sat across from her, hands folded and eyes closed. He was quiet for a long time, thinking and trying to breathe right again. Finally, he grabbed Jenny gently by her scratched hand and poke calmly.

"Sweetie-"

"What was that, grandpa? Tell me, please?"

"Just listen…" He went quiet again before he got the right words. "You know those stories your mother and I read to you at night?" Jenny nodded. "Well… some of them are different. Some of them are real, but…they're…not so nice."

"Like the Bogeyman?"

Slowly her grandfather nodded. "Yeah, like the Bogeyman. They like my basement. That's why you are never allowed in there. You understand? And you are not allowed to tell anyone about this."

Jenny squinted. "Why not?"

"You just can't, Jenny. It-It's special. Okay?" When Jenny pouted, his voice grew sterner and he made her look into his eyes. "You're not going to tell anyone. If you do, you will never visit me again. Got it?"

"But grandpa!"

"Do you want to go home?"

"No! Please don't, grandpa!"

Her grandfather sighed, then pushed her bowl closer to her. "Then eat up. We…have some gardening to do later."

Jenny took the treat and accepted the argument like any other child would do when threatened with something they wanted. Although she said she'd stay quiet, watching her grandfather bandage up his arms was far too unforgettable to simply ignore. Her hands were sore, her knees were scratched up, and she could still feel the ice in her hair. Yet, Jenny silently ate her ice cream.

Upstairs, the first room on the right seemed small since it was crowded with foreign stuffed animals and dolls. There were the piles of toys around the room, a small bed, a child's dresser, and something that Jenny had never touched. It was one of those cupboard doors in the corner of the room, usually in lofts or attics. As far as Jenny knew it was full of more toys, but it was always in the darkest corner of her room, so she was always too scared to go near it.

Since the incident, a new toy had been added in her room. A weird symbol on something like a blue star nailed firmly into her door. She noticed it every time she walked into her room and frankly she didn't like it. Yet, her grandfather told her to keep it up. "It's a special protection charm," he said. "To keep the Bogeymen away. Okay?"

But the charm didn't prevent the Bogeymen from invading her dreams at night, turning her childish visions into horrible nightmares. All she would see was snow and blood, and her grandfather amid it all until the red eyes came flashing at her. She'd wake up screaming and crying until her grandfather rocked her back to sleep. For the next few nights it happened that way. Jenny could never sleep through the entire night without seeing the eyes and waking up terrified.

On the fifth night, however, the nightmare changed slightly. She could see the blood and the darkness that brought far too many fears for a little girl. Yet, instead of the crimson eyes hurling menacingly at her, everything brightened a little, and she saw blue. A pair of blue eyes, but it was amazing. Only princesses or fairies had that kind of blue. That beautiful, impossible gaze. It calmed the storm in her dream, took away all the blood and rewound the pain. Somehow, those blue eyes made everything the way it was supposed to be. She still awoke with a jolt, only this time, she didn't scream.

It was late and dark. Jenny immediately started to cry because she didn't understand. It was scary, and now she was alone in the dark, and it was cold, and she didn't understand. Still, she didn't scream or cry for her grandfather. He had been working in the basement all day, and he probably wouldn't hear her from down there even if she tried. Thus, she curled up her knees into the back corner of her bed, buried her face, and cried quietly.

The silence settled in like the fear does with the night. Jenny was hiccupping and wiping her face when she heard it. It sounded like a breeze from her window, a soft whisper. But a voice grew behind it into disoriented words. Somehow, she heard it.

"Please, don't cry."

Jenny quickly lifted her head, thinking maybe her grandfather had hear her.

But her door was closed, and she was still alone.

She sat still for a moment, then asked, "Who's there?"

There was only silence.

Jenny looked around the room and realized she should turn on the lights. It was dark and cold and very quiet. But the switch seemed too far away and anything could grab her from the long distance from the end of her bed to the door. She sat still for a while, continuing to hiccup, but distracted from crying.

Then the wind-like voice came again. "You…can hear…me?"

It sounded very far away, but very smooth. It seemed different than a normal voice. It was soft and young, but unique. Beautiful almost. Like mystical tones wrapped together in perfect harmony.

From what Jenny could tell, it sounded like a boy.

"Who are you?" Jenny said quickly. She jumped off the bed even faster, ignoring any chance of a monster grabbing her from underneath. "Why are you in my room? _Where_ are you?" When the voice didn't answer, Jenny ran to her door.

"Wait!" it called quickly. "Don't leave…Not yet."

Jenny stopped at her door. Quickly, she flicked on the lights. Nothing revealed itself from the shadows. "Why not?"

There was a moment of silence again. "I…wish to talk… to you…"

Jenny stood at her door for a moment. Her hands were feeling sore again, but she had stopped crying. She searched the dull room with her eyes. "Who are you? Why can't I see you?"

The voice hesitated. "It's complicated…"

Jenny rubbed her face dry, suddenly interested in this very whimsical voice that echoed gently through her room. "Well, are you a boy or a girl?"

"I'm a male."

Jenny almost laughed. "You talk weird."

"Well…I'm not like you."

Jenny hesitated. Slowly she walked back to her bed. "What do you mean?"

Silence again. Jenny gripped the end frame of her bed until her hands ached again.

"I'm not…human…"

Jenny almost gasped. "Not-uh."

"Don't believe me?"

Jenny hesitated. Was she dreaming? Or was this a fairy tale? A true one, like her grandfather said? Should she go get her grandfather?

But he had said not to talk about it…

"Are you bad?" She asked quickly. "Like, do you steal the princesses or do you help them?"

That breeze came in again, whisking around her in a slight chuckle. His voice was slowly coming in clearer, stronger. "Considering this….recent incident," he asked slowly, "what do you think?"

Jenny still searched the room, but all she saw were shadows. She wanted to look around the room, maybe physically search for him, but the fear of the darkness coming from outside kept her in place. Besides, whatever she was going to find in the closet or under her bed was too frightening to imagine. Instead, she thought about it. A slight chill ran up her spine, giving her goose bumps, and she hugged herself. It was the pain she felt in her hands that made her think about it. The ice-The power-The monsters-

"Are you one of those Bogeymen from the basement?"

The laughing breeze came again, only softer. "You could say that."

Jenny glared then, but she didn't know where to glare. She stood up tall and pointed firmly at the door. "Then get out! I don't like you."

"You don't _know_ me."

"You hurt my grandpa. Get out."

"That wasn't me."

Jenny pouted. "I don't care. I want you to leave."

She could clearly hear his laugh now. It was almost cruel, but not as cold as she expected. "I wouldn't even if the option was available."

"What does _that_ mean?"

"It means I'm stuck," the "boy" said simply, but with a little enthusiasm in his tone. "Here. With you. Your grandfather trapped me here."

"In the basement?"

"You could say that."

Jenny crossed her arms stubbornly. It was too confusing for her to figure out. All she knew was that she was tired, her hands and her eyes were sore, and she wanted…. She wanted to _know_.

"That can't happen."

"Can it?"

"If you're in the basement, how come I can hear you?"

His voice tweaked a little, like it was unsure of its own answer. "Let's just say I'm strong enough to send my voice this far…"

Jenny climbed back on her bed, rubbing her hands. "You don't sound very strong. You sound _weird_." He laughed again and Jenny looked around the room curiously. "Can I see you?"

To that, the boy didn't answer. Jenny waited, even called out, but he didn't answer. So Jenny smiled. "I guess you're not so strong after all."

"You have no idea."

Satisfied with the returning voice, Jenny got off the bed again. "Where are you? Can you see _me_?" She started waving her arms around until he answered.

"Yes," he said in a slight chuckle.

Jenny dropped her arms. "Then what do I look like?"

"You're wearing a dress as golden and bright as the sun… Hair as glamorous and beautiful as honey… Eyes as green as emeralds."

Jenny grew a little timid after that. She wasn't expecting that kind of answer. "For a Boogeyman, you don't sound very evil."

"I'm more evil than you'd believe."

"How come?"

"I just am."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"You'll just have to trust my word then."

Jenny paused. "Can I trust you?" she asked honestly.

The boy took a moment, too. "No," he said blankly. "Not at all."

Jenny stood still for a moment. She was thinking of other things to ask, things she wanted to find out, but ended up yawning widely. The day had been long and she hadn't gotten much sleep before this incident occurred.

"Do you sleep?" she asked quietly.

"Not exactly."

Jenny sat back on her bed. "Are you real?"

The voice actually got quiet. "I don't know." He sounded a lot weaker now.

"Are you going to hurt me?"

There was a long pause that little Jenny didn't know how to feel about. There wasn't even an attempt of an answer. Too tired to figure it out, Jenny wrapped herself in the hand-woven blanket, but refused to lay down just yet. She asked instead, "If a princess fell asleep in front of you, would you kidnap her?"

He answered, "Depends…."

Jenny laid down, yawning again. "On what?"

"It'd have to be a certain princess."

The warmth was too much and sleep started to drag Jenny away. She mumbled, so she didn't think the boy had heard her. But still he answered her.

"How about you call me Julian? But it's all right. I won't hurt you, Jenny. Trust me…."

It was early when Jenny's grandfather came in to wake her up. The sunlight barely penetrated the heavy morning fog and the birds weren't even awake yet to sing, making the room dark and quiet. Her grandfather shook her until she was conscious enough to stand, dressed her in warm clothes, then grabbed a stuffed animal from the bed and carried her downstairs. Jenny was so sleepy that it wasn't until she was in the truck and halfway to the airport that she realized what happened last night.

She sat up fast and tried to look back at the house that was long gone. It was fascinating to a five year old to have spoken with a demon, but was it real?

Was it _safe_?

Jenny looked to her grandfather who was driving. She had opened her mouth, until she saw the bandages on his arms, and she immediately choked down the words. He was the one who told her not to talk about it anyway.

So Jenny looked away and after a moment, she smiled to herself. When her grandfather asked why, she merely shook her head and stayed silent the entire way there.

They returned with _three_ ice cream cones and an extra seat in the car. Jenny had bolted out of the car with her cousin, Zach, where a game of tag was immediately taken place. They ran for endless hours through the yard, around the house, into her room and around her bed-all until Zach tripped and scraped his knee. Then they rested for a while to watch TV, and soon started a game of hide and seek.

A few rounds went by until it was Jenny's turn to hide and she ran upstairs. She was stuck between behind her grandfather's curtains or in the hallway closet when she noticed it. She ran into her room, still searching, and her mind got caught up with last night again. She uttered a small gasp, then looked around carefully.

"Hey," she called softly. "Are you still there?" For a moment there was only silence. "Jul-"

"Ready or not, here I come!"

Jenny jumped, hesitated, then ran back into the hall to hide.

It was a while of playing and eating until their childish energy died away. Jenny fell asleep first, on the couch under her grandfather's arm. She woke up to him lying her down in her bed. The reason Zach wasn't lying with her meant he was still awake, staying up late drawing like he always did.

Sleep had started to take her over when the door clicked closed and her senses jolted awake. She quickly sat up and looked around her room. "Julian?" she tried one more time. The silence was disappointing. Maybe she had imagined it after all.

So she grabbed her stuffed animals and started playing with them. Giving them names and acting out the characters of a inhuman boy and a princess until that whimsical breeze came flowing back to her.

"You remembered my name."

Glee passed over Jenny and she dropped her dolls, looking around the room. "So you _are_ real. Why didn't you answer me earlier?"

Julian didn't answer her question. Instead he asked one of his own. "Who was that boy?"

"Oh, that's just Zach. He's my cousin. Sometimes we share the same bed because the other bed scares him. It's too big and too lonely, he said."

"I could understand that." It came out in a sort of mumble.

Jenny felt like the demon was suddenly sad. "Are you alone?"

For a moment, Julian was silent. "In a way."

"Don't you have a mommy? Or a daddy?"

"I wasn't born. So no." He sounded a little bitter. "I just…exist."

"You _have_ to have a mommy."

"But I don't."

"You don't have any friends?" When he didn't answer, Jenny asked. "You've got to have family. Don't you got a cousin? Or a grandpa?"

"I have my ancestors."

"A what?"

There was a small chuckle. "Imagine them as very old grandfathers."

"Oh. Well, don't they play with you?"

"Not as yours does." Before she could question, he said, "I'm _evil_. Remember, Jenny? I don't play the same games as you."

"Not even hide and seek? Why not?" Julian didn't answer and Jenny protested. "But we're kinda playing it right now! You're already hiding. I'll count to ten and try to find you, okay?"

Julian laughed softly. "It doesn't work like that."

"Yes, it does. I just played it."

"That's not what I meant." Julian tried to explain. "Playing with me-Seeing me. It's dangerous."

"Why?"

"Because I'm _evil_." He stressed the word. "Don't you understand that?"

"But I fell asleep in front of you. You didn't kidnap me…. And if you're like the Bogeymen from the basement, then you can't hurt me, right? Why should I be afraid of you?"

"**Because**," he said tightly. "If you find me….

Jenny waited for him to finish, but he never did. "Well, you wanna play or not?"

"I'll play **any** game with you, Jenny. Any hour. Any day."

And Jenny believed him.

Slowly, she smiled, closed her eyes for a moment, then jumped out of bed. She dropped down and looked under the bed where fear only grabbed her momentarily before the dust revealed itself. Disappointed, she stood up, then ran and checked in the very small space behind her headboard.

"It's not fair if I can't find you, you know," she said stubbornly. "You can see me, soooo… I can find you, right?"

"Remember, I'm not human."

"So what?" Jenny asked. "You can see through walls 'n stuff?" After the long pause, Jenny grew a little worried. "Are you _in_ the _**walls**_?"

"No," he answered in a chuckle. "But I can see all sorts of things."

"Like what?"

"Everything. Even things from other rooms."

"Liar."

"Want proof? Right now that boy just fell asleep and is about to fall."

"Not-uh."

"Don't believe me?"

Jenny hesitated for a moment, then rushed out the door and stopped at the stairs. She paused for a moment before sneaking down a few steps. She wasn't even halfway down when she heard the loud _thump_.

She rushed to the bottom, but didn't let herself be seen. She only peek out far enough to see her grandfather helping Zach up, who was half-asleep and rubbing his face from the floor.

Running back into her room, Jenny giggled as she closed the door and dove back on her bd. "That's so cool! What else can you see? Can you read my mind?"

Julian just laughed. That's when Jenny remembered the game.

"Oh, yeah! I have to find you." She got back up and ran to the window, checking behind the curtains. The darkness outside scared her and made her a little hesitant. "What do you look like?"

There was a small pause from the smooth voice. "Like you," he said eventually. "Two arms, two legs."

"And a head, right? 'Cause that's impossible."

"Is it?" Jenny pouted and he chuckled again. "You'll have to find out," he said and the tease in his tone set up a challenge, a childish challenge that sent Jenny running in glee. She checked in every dresser drawer, behind it, even in the closet. It was when she closed the door that she spotted the other. The door in the back corner of the room, one that she never touched because there was nothing in there-

-or there was _supposed_ to be nothing.

Jenny stood utterly still for a moment, then slowly approached the door. She was suddenly afraid, whether or not he was behind it, the unknown darkness the door made her unable to open it.

"Are you in there?" she asked a little cautiously.

"You could say that."

Jenny tried to look through the slits in the door's shutters, but all she saw were shadows. Curiosity was making her reach for the handle, but the fear made her jump back. "Y-You said you were evil-"

"What leverage do I have to harm you?"

Jenny shamefully looked down and played with her fingers. "I…helped close the door…."

Julian paused. "That's true… Do you not trust me?"

Jenny looked at the door once more, then backed up quietly to her bed and shook her head. "Hm, smart girl."

For a while, Jenny just sat there, staring at the small door, unable to go away nor toward it. "What do you do," she asked quietly, "as a…not-human.…"

"Nothing you do," he answered subtly. "I'm **evil**."

"Do you hurt people?"

Julian paused. "Only some."

"Why?"

"It's just…in my nature. It's the way we are."

Jenny sat up straight. "We?"

"My ancestors."

"Are they the Bogeymen from the basement?"

"Yes."

"And you have to be like them?"

Julian hesitated again. "Yes."

"Well, why don't you be good? You know, help the princess?"

The sudden voice at the door surprised Jenny. "Who are you talking to?"

Jenny turned where Zach stood still, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "N-No one." She ran over, took his hand and pulled him into bed where they laid together to go to sleep. For a while, little Jenny laid there in the dark, staring at the shadow-covered door until the shadows slowly took herself into a deep sleep.

**So yeah! Here's my random writing at what would happen if their first meeting had gone differently :) If people like it, this will continue until they're older, into a whole new game with Julian when they're older :) Please review and ignore any mistakes. Advice is always welcome and yeah. Let me know what you guys think x3**

**till my next update!**

**ZVA**


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